Last week I took Andrew into Boston to see the Peanuts movie. We were at a press screening and I had an embargo not to write any sort of review until Friday. Well, I was going to take Eva with me to see the movie but she had a two hour play rehearsal that night and we wouldn’t be able to get in to the city in time. Because of that I told Eva that I would take her on her own this Monday night so that we could see the movie together.

I picked Eva up after school and christmas choir practice. She and I went over to KC’s Classic Burger bar for dinner. While there Eva completed some of her homework and we talked. We split some fried pickles, wings, and a burger. I did get a chocolate shake for us to split but she did not like it. Such a surprise to me. After dinner Eva had me read the play that she has been working on. She has quite the imagination. Eva really impressed our waitress, too.

Then we went to the movies. We were there fairly early and saw all the previews. She got a kick out of some of the upcoming movie previews like The Good Dinosaur and Kung Fu Panda 3. Then it was time for The Peanuts Movie.

The Peanuts have always been dear to my heart. I feel like as far back as I could read I was reading Peanuts cartoons. I remember having a dress up Snoopy stuffed animal and you could get clothes for him. The place that sold them was in downtown Attleboro called The Cameo Shop. It was right at the bridge in downtown across from where I went to nursery school. I had a train conductor outfit for my Snoopy. So I guess I enjoyed trains because as with yesterday’s Photo-a-Day Post you saw that I had a Snoopy train coloring book.

Snoopy was a big part of my life. I remember that my next door neighbors, the Lynches had the record of Christmas Bells (Snoopy vs the Red Baron) and one of the kids would draw me pictures of Snoopy. It wasn’t until I was older that I would come to identify much more with Charlie Brown. When I was much older I learned who Charles Schulz’s inspiration for Charlie Brown was and it made me feel better in that identification with Good Ole Charlie Brown.

The movie is one of the best I have ever seen that reverently and accurately holds true to the spirit of the source material. It was also very, very funny. Eva laughed herself silly through the movie. I found myself infected by her laughter and also saw it a second time with fresh eyes. Many of the classic lines are worked into the movie and the scenes where Snoopy goes off into his imagination are so well woven into the overall story. There is a great sequence that cuts back and forth between the imagination story and the real story that is very funny. So much of the classic cartoon is incorporated into the movie like the cartoons used as thought bubbles and how the characters are computer animated but have that squiggly look to their mouths and their eyebrows are over the computer images so it almost looks like part cartoon drawing and part computer image.

This is a movie that any Peanuts fan would be proud to show their kids and grandkids. We also received some Peanuts toys this past week. They are adorable.

At the movie theater, Eva suggested that we get a photo done at the Photo Booth. We poured over the different backgrounds and then we messed up and picked this one.